The Other Time
by Plume d'un souffle
Summary: Draco says something he wanted to get off his chest for more than forty years. (2014) One-shot.


The other time

The second time Draco saw the trio, he wasn't with his son, nor his wife. He wasn't at the gate, waiting for his son to embark on the Hogwarts Express. It was years after he nodded to Harry. This gesture was nothing compare with what he wanted to say. For his old enemies, it may have meant something… But not for him. It wasn't enough. It was just a shadow of thanking that fade with time. Yesterday, today and forevermore, they will remember him as a bully. He regrets everything, especially his cocky attitude. What has Hermione Granger deserved for his hate? Being a mudblood… He was always mean toward them. Yet, he must admit he was jealous of Harry's fame. But he had his time of glory during the fifth year when he was walking aside Dolores Umbridge.

Now he was in his sixty and has never seen them again. They were so famous and well-known aurors. Hermione has even been asked to be at the head of the ministry of magic, but she declined the offer. So many people would've vote for her, including him. Draco never knew anybody who would have suited perfectly to the role. Their first task as aurors were to examine the death eaters' houses and take away every object that could be use to do harm of any kind. Luckily, they left his house alone. It was like if they knew he was going to thrown every maleficent thing out and destroys them. He wanted nobody to see something that could relate him to his past. A past where he never had a choice. The dark mark never completely faded with time, it remains gray. He had tried everything to make it disappears… but nothing worked and he had to wear longs darks sleeves every day. Sometimes, summer was almost unbearable. But today it didn't matters.

They're been a through that has been haunting him for decades. He heard of them so many times in the Daily Prophet, but never been able to see them. But today, he knew where to find them. He went to see Luna and told her how sorry he was in front of her and her husband. He was sure she would understand, which she did. She told them, that sometimes, they go incognitos, using Polyjuice potion, into the Muggle world to have a break from fame. Even Ron didn't like being popular that much, especially when his personal life is often in the newspaper. Luna has accompanied him into a café, somewhere in Paris and show him who they were. He promised to never reveal their secret to anyone. Not even to his own son, who have been a good friend to Albus Severus Potter, will know. They looked like perfect Muggles there, sitting and talking silently at the table almost hidden in the corner of the café. He made sure nobody he knew were there and walked toward them, head down.

They've stopped talking when they saw him. When he looked at Harry, he could almost picture an invisible lightning scar on his forehead. The words he has longed to say were sticking into his throat, but he finally managed to say them:

"I'm sorry," he said in a broken voice, looking deeply into his old classmates' eyes.

After a moment of silence, when Draco was starting to walk away, all of them said at the same time:

"We forgive you."

And then Harry held out his hand and say:

"Scorpius Malefoy is really a nice kid, he's welcome home anytime. Hermione create something that could help you."

Draco shook his hand and accepts the invitation to join their table. Hermione told him to show her his dark mark and she pointed the wand at it, murmuring:

"Nibula."

To Draco's joy, the dark mark disappears completely.

"Hermione create this spell twenty years ago. Nobody knows it, but us and, similar to the fidelity charm, it can only be use by us and persons who share the same blood. Now go and live free. You've paided off your debts," Ron said.

Draco smiled and promised to find an explanation to his wife because he wouldn't be able to explain what happened because of the spell's magic. He went out of the café, free from regrets and went to buy, for the first time since his sixth year at Hogwarts, shorts sleeves clothes.

THE END.


End file.
